Function

The Director of Paid Media is focused on driving sustained growth through the development and delivery of sound paid media strategies. This position reports to our Vice President of Marketing Demand Generation and Operations. The Director of Paid Media will be part of a passionate team of marketing professionals and drive demand generation through digital and offline media. The Director of Paid Media will be responsible for overseeing the development, implementation, and measurement of all media activity that drives new business. This individual provides strategic direction for media solutions that meet Citadel’s strategic objectives, as well as leadership to grow our media capabilities. The Director of Paid Media has competency in all digital marketing and traditional channels and acts as a thought leader on emerging practices, is able to speak confidently about the latest trends in technologies, methodologies, processes, and measure results across the media landscape. The ideal candidate will have strong leadership and partnering skills in balance with their technical know-how and bias toward action. 

Duties and Responsibilities

• Drives media strategy (online and offline) and analysis, leads media recommendations and media mix optimizations.
• Effectively manages Citadels investments in working media ensuring budgets and delivery are met and in alignment with corporate plans and forecasts.
• Demonstrates a detailed understanding of Citadel’s business and business/marketing objectives and how media contributes to the overall business goals.
• Provides marketing expertise contributing to strategy development across multiple cross-functional teams. Alert to changes in the marketplace and adjusts strategy accordingly. Passionate leader of customer insight in peer groups and internal meetings.
• Proactively searches out best practices from around the network to strengthen the team’s delivery. Consistently strives to improve approach, methods and media capability deliverables.
• Partners with media agency and internal analytics team to deliver regular media performance insights and stories
• Takes a holistic and impartial view of media properties in developing strategies.
• Ensures appropriate creative assets are trafficked timely to outlets and campaign
• Drives test and learn approach overseeing testing strategy across products, tactics and media properties.
• Proactively partners with internal departments.
• Strong team builder with media vendors and internal teams taking accountability for one's work as well as the work of the team.
• Provides functional management and leadership to a team of media specialists to consistently and successfully deliver execution of complex programs.
• Successfully manages available staffing and vendor resources
• Manages media staff, workflow and department capabilities.
• Demonstrates a commitment to employee development including onboarding new employees, training, and mentoring. Train media specialists on direct response and brand marketing. Shared learning of insight-driven work. Develop and deliver on-boarding for new hires. Ability to teach mathematical and media concepts.

Qualifications and Education Requirements

• 8 years of hands-on media planning experience across all relevant channels with emphasis on digital channels
• Additional experience in banking preferred.
• 4-year business degree or equivalent in experience and education; Master’s Degree preferred
• High level of computer aptitude. Experience using analysis software (e.g., Excel, Access, Tableau, etc.)
• Exposure to project management software like Wrike, Basecamp, Microsoft Teams preferred

Competencies 

• Expertise in cross channel media tools and response forecasting
• Strong understanding of paid search (PPC), display advertising, and social media advertising platforms (e.g., Google Ads, Facebook Ads).
• Proven success in leading teams of professionals
• Strong communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively across various departments. 
• In-depth understanding and application of technical media concepts and principles
• Strong knowledge of external media marketplace
• Ability to conceptualize, build, and implement new media systems
• Direct experience in consumer market experience preferably in financial services.
• Experience using analysis software (e.g., Excel, Access, Tableau, Google Analytics etc.)
• Excellent communication skills and experience presenting to senior-level stakeholders
• Ability to convey technical findings to a broad audience